JEF leaders united in support to Ukraine: Niinistö

Leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to the restoration of peace and security in Europe in light of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression, said the leaders in a joint statement.

“Joint Expeditionary Force Leaders are united in support to Ukraine and resolve to strengthen European security. JEF remains an important part of Finland’s defence cooperation network,” President Sauli Niinistö, who represented Finland wrote in his twitter after the meeting.

Niinistö also had a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at latter’s official residence at Downing Street 10 and held an in-depth discussion on the situation in Ukraine, Russia and European security, said the Finnish President Office in a press release.

It was concluded that the cooperation between Britain and Finland is deep and should be further developed. In recent years, determined efforts have been taken to deepen the cooperation both bilaterally and within the framework of JEF.

“We have full British support on our side when we make decisions, no matter in which direction,” said Niinistö to the media in the afternoon.

Pointing out the present defence cooperation between Britain and Finland, leaders of both the countries underscored the need for boosting the bilateral ties further.

“An important discussion with PM @BorisJohnson @10DowningStreet. Shared views on Ukraine, Russia and security in Europe. Cooperation between Finland and the UK is strong,” wrote Niinistö in his twitter after the meeting.

When meeting with Finnish media, Niinistö said that the risk of escalation of the war in Ukraine gives particular cause for concern.

He highlighted the dilemma, in which we need to weigh the need to put an end to killing against the danger of escalation of war.

“This is a really difficult equation to solve, and it seems to me that the pressure to end the killing in one way or another just keeps on growing,” said the President.

Niinistö informed the media that, despite serious issues, the general atmosphere at the meeting was very amicable.

“All those attending stood strongly behind the same goal.” The discussions focused on the mutual coordination of aid, the development of activities between the JEF countries, such as exercises, and the impact of economic sanctions.

“Above all, we discussed what the future will look like if and when, at some point, this ongoing crisis, the war, is resolved,” he added.

Meanwhile, the JEF leaders issued a joint statement at the meeting held in London on Monday and Tuesday where they called upon Russia to implement and uphold an immediate ceasefire to halt the developing humanitarian crisis and allow rapid and unimpeded access for Ukraine’s civilian population to food, water and medical aid, said the UK Prime Minister's Office in a press release.

JEF, is a UK-led multilateral framework for defence cooperation formed by ten countries: The United Kingdom, Finland, the Netherlands, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Estonia.

“Russia must respect international humanitarian law. We support the investigations of the International Criminal Court into alleged war crimes. The world will hold Russia to account for its actions. Putin must fail. We are working in lockstep with Allies and international partners to impose unprecedented sanctions on Putin’s regime in response to its illegal invasion, and to ensure that Belarus is also held to account for its involvement. We call on Putin to de-escalate, withdraw his forces and return Ukraine to its internationally recognised boundaries,” said the joint statement.